Different Franciscan Orders

[francesassisi]

There are so many different Franciscan orders and I am trying to research them. I wanted to know which order focuses the most on parish ministry. God Bless.

 

[christofirst]

This map from the Order of Friars Minor shows the churches where this branch of the Franciscans serve in the U.S.

Franciscan Friars | Meet the Friars from The Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe

 

[phil19034]

There are so many different Franciscan orders and I am trying to research them. I wanted to know which order focuses the most on parish ministry. God Bless.

I don’t think your question is one anyone can answer.

The reason: Institutes of Consecrated Life (aka Religious Orders) are not primarily founded to focus on parish ministry.

The few orders that were specifically founded to focus on parish ministry are typically Societies of Apostolic Life, and I’m not familiar with any that are Franciscan.

 

[EugeneCharles]

There are so many different Franciscan orders

There are only 3 Franciscan Orders: First, Second, and Third Order. You could’ve been talking about the organizations of these Communities.

1st Order- which is divided into three:

• The Order of Friars Minor
• Capuchins
• Minorites

2nd Order- a.k.a. Poor Clares

• Yup! Tthe members were women only. They are the people whom we can call as “Nuns”.

3rd Order- Which is divided into two:

• Secular Franciscan Order
• Third Order Regular

I wanted to know which order focuses the most on parish ministry

All of them are close to Parish Ministry, it just happened that the Third Order members were more involved in performing works of charity, teaching Catechism to the community, and social services. The Third Order Secular members live without vows. You might find all of them not wearing religious habits. The Franciscans should be celibate but the Third Secular Order called tertiaries could marry.

P.S. I would pray that you’ll be one of them after a while. I would be very excited if it happens that you’ll be a consecrated person or a member of secular order! God bless!

 

[commenter]

There are so many different Franciscan orders and I am trying to research them. I wanted to know which order focuses the most on parish ministry. God Bless.

The communities of the first order - Ofm, Ofm Capuchins, and Ofm Conventuals all have some parishes assigned to them by the local Dioceses. The number of parishes vary from time to time, place to place.

Franciscan clergy communities in the Third Order also can staff parishes.

The proportion assigned to parishes depends on a availability of clergy, the needs of the local area, and continuing commitments to other kinds of ministries. I’m sure the requests are greater than they can fill.

 

[Cloisters]

I’d like to clarify regarding the Third Order Regular. There is a “proper” one that uses TOR as their post-nomials, and has cloistered nuns and seculars. Then, there are Third Order Regular congregations who use OSF, and sometimes TOSF. If placing these on a chart, I would refer to them as “eclectic” Third Order Regular.

If founding a new Franciscan congregation, it has to be Third Order Regular (eclectic).

Blessings,
Cloisters
My new congregation:
http://cloisters.tripod.com/charity/
My particular ministry promoting the cloisters and contemplative life:
http://cloisters.tripod.com/

 

[Cloisters]

1st Order- which is divided into three:

According to other posters, the First Order is comprised of the Friars Minor, the Conventuals, and the Capuchins.

The Friars Minor are the original congregation. The Conventuals wear grey, and the Capuchins, who are actually a reform, wear brown and beards.

All Franciscans have the Cord.

 

[nunsuch]

The colors of the habits are secondary incidentals. The important distinctions are in spirituality, lifestyle (the Conventuals, for instance, actually own property), etc. I think in trying to discern a vocation, it is important to concentrate on what the life (and prayer life) is all about, not what people wear, As we’ve seen throughout history, that can easily change.

 

[commenter]

Historical differences are important. But it would be inaccurate to ignore important ideological differences of recent decades.
Some Franciscan communities, at least in the West, have become far more “liberal” in recent years. This has resulted in new “conservative” Franciscan communities splitting off from Capuchins and Ofm’s.

The more liberal Orders have also had a massive decline in vocations. For instance, the Ofm’s are in process of merging several regional provinces into one province covering the USA.

There are exceptions, as local superiors and communities may differ from the larger trends. I’m just suggesting recent history may be a bigger factor than other other aspects of heritage.

 

[praytell]

Liberal vs conservative aside, I personally have ties to OFM Conventionals. This is the order that staffs the Parish I am involved in:
https://www.olaprovince.org/
I have found that they are very devoted to prayer, fellowship, and outreach to the poor. From a doctrinal standpoint, I have found them to be solid (i.e. I have not witnessed any liturgical/pastoral shenanigans). It can differ from Friar to Friar though. On the website there is a list of locations throughout the US. If there is one in your area, check them out.

 

[Cor_ad_Cor]

Ah, that’s the group of Franciscans I’m most familiar with as well (but different province). These and the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate are in our archdiocese.

 

[PapyrusDouay]

You got a lot of good answers here. Of the first order (OFMs, Capuchins, and Conventuals), all have parish ministries. You’d have to look at the province webpages to get an idea how many each have at any given time. But even in locations where there is a friary/ community, but no Franciscan parish, the priests from the friary will often help out at local parishes on Sundays, or at other times during the week/month/year.

Parish ministries, and really all ministries can fluctuate greatly. It all depends on the needs of the Order, but also the preferences of the friars. Even though it’s not always possible, most communities do try to put the friars in ministries they like. As with all fields, people perform better when they enjoy what they’re doing. When vocations are up there tend to be more parish ministries. When vocations are down, there tend to be fewer.